Greater Lafayette 'dreamers' prepare for an uncertain future as DACA winds down

On Tuesday it was announced that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, will end.
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Protesters hold up signs in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program at a rally in Riehle Plaza in Lafayette on Aug. 15, 2017. President Donald Trump recently called to wind down the Obama-era program.(Photo: Meghan Holden/Journal & Courier)

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — In the nearly two decades Hector Avila has lived in Lafayette, he's thrived in and embraced the community.

He moved here with his family when he was 8 years old, graduated from Lafayette Jefferson High School and attended Ivy Tech Community College. He now works as a banker here and also serves as vice president for the local nonprofit Latino Center for Wellness & Education.

Lafayette is Avila's home. Whether he'll be able to continue living here in a few years, however, is up in the air.

Avila's family illegally immigrated to the U.S. from Monterrey, Mexico, but he has been able to live and work in the states without fear of deportation because of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA.

DACA, an executive order enacted by former President Barack Obama in 2012, provides temporary protection and work authorization for young people who were brought into the country illegally as children. Those who qualify could apply to renew their status every two years, at which time they also must pass a criminal background check.

"These are outstanding citizens that have every intent to serve the community, to provide a service for their family and to provide a service for their employers," Avila said.

Hector Avila, a Lafayette resident, is a recipient of the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals. His future is unclear now with the wind down of the program. "We're just regular individuals. ... We have feelings. We have families. We have dreams and aspirations to continue our careers and to give back to the community," he said.(Photo: Provided by Hector Avila)

Avila is among about 800,000 DACA recipients, known as dreamers, whose immediate futures are now unclear after President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for an end to the Obama-era program.

The decision came amid pressure from a group of Republican attorneys general from 10 states who threatened to file a lawsuit against the program if Trump didn't end it. Trump did, however, invite Congress to preserve the program through legislation within six months.

The Department of Homeland Security will immediately stop accepting applications to DACA. Dreamers whose legal statuses expire on or before March 5, 2018, can apply for a two-year renewal, but they must do so by Oct. 5.

Because his status expires in December, Avila said he is one of the "fortunate individuals" who can seek a two-year renewal.

Where that puts him two years from now, however, is unknown.

"I think being fortunate enough to be in this window where I can still renew for two years buys me a little bit of time, but the future is uncertain," Avila said.

Avila's attorney, Arturo Rodriguez II, who practices immigration law in Lafayette and Chicago, said he has been receiving calls from DACA recipients whose status expires after March 5. Some people in that position could qualify for certain government programs that could allow them to stay in the U.S., he said.

Jazmin Berlanga Medina is among those who will not make the March 5 deadline. Her status expires in 2019, leaving her with less than a year and half left of her deferment.

Since Tuesday's announcement, she hasn't been able to stop thinking about what will happen after that time.

"It's this constant thing that takes a toll on you," Berlanga Medina said.

She does have a "tiny glimmer of hope," though, that the Trump administration and Congress will be able to work something out to keep at least some form of the program alive. But she predicts — as has been reported by many news outlets — that won't be accomplished without the Republicans using the dreamers as leverage to get something they want from the Democrats, such as approval to build a wall on the Mexican-U.S. border or additional funding for border security.

Berlanga Medina came to the U.S. from Tijuana, Mexico, at age 4. She received her undergraduate and master's degrees in physics from the University of Arkansas before moving to the Lafayette area nearly two years ago. She worked for Purdue University for a while before starting at her recent job in November, the day after Trump was elected, she said.

With her future unclear, Berlanga Medina worries about the fate of several projects she's leading for the education-related organization at which she's employed, but did not want to name. She anticipates many areas, including Greater Lafayette, will suffer from the loss of dreamers.

"We collectively as a group are doing so much for the country, adding to the economy and providing a lot of important roles in our communities that can’t just simply be replaced," she said.

Although this is a time of uncertainty and frustration, Berlanga Medina said she's fortunate to be in the Lafayette area right now because the people are generally warm and welcoming.

There's also a large Latino population in Tippecanoe County — U.S. Census Bureau data show the county is about 8 percent Latino or Hispanic. Although there are no data that show how many people are DACA recipients in this area, local immigrant experts estimate there's a healthy population, especially when including Purdue students.

A written statement from Purdue said the university hopes for Congress to take action to continue DACA.

"Since the courts have ruled that the current program was created without lawful process, it’s important that Congress remove any cloud over its legal validity," read the message out of Purdue President Mitch Daniels' office. "We hope for quick action to enact the substance of this program and provide it permanence and certainty."

Two local organizations — Greater Lafayette Immigrant Allies and the Lafayette Urban Ministry Immigration Clinic — are working to help eligible dreamers complete their status renewal applications by the Oct. 5 deadline.

Susan Brouillette, director of the LUM Immigration Clinic, said her organization and Greater Lafayette Immigration Allies will hold a volunteer training session for people who want to help eligible DACA recipients with the renewal process. The training session is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, at MatchBOX Coworking Studio. Workshops will also be held to assist with renewal applications, she said, which will be advertised on both organizations' websites and Facebook pages.

"It really speaks to the inherit good that’s in the people of Indiana and in the U.S. to accept newcomers and diversity," Berlanga Medina said.

Although Berlanga Medina and Avila face unknown futures, they both expressed hope and determination beyond the boundaries of DACA.

"We're just regular individuals. We have a life. We have feelings. We have families. We have dreams and aspirations to continue our careers and to give back to the community," Avila said. "And certainly that’s not labeled by one program."